self-protection units (SPUs)

1. All army units shall preserve and safeguard political and military and organisational information relating to the army's security and well-being.

As the defence units become better equipped with modern firearms so their defence capacity will be increased. The prior used of rudimentary weapons will have served as useful training and practise apart from their defence capacity.

MR WILLS: It is through your capacity as the Deputy Chairperson of the Southern Natal region of the ANC that you eventually became involved in the establishment of the Self Defence Units, is that correct?

MR ROSS: That is correct, I'm talking about street defence units, sir.

MS MOLOISANE: How were these units formed, by whom?

"In the period after 1990, when the defence units, the SDUs were established, some of those SDUs did indeed act, they did indeed act in the context of the ongoing conflict then in KwaZulu/Natal and Gauteng Province, in defence of the people, not against the IFP, but against people who were seen as ...

MS MOLOISANE: Do you know anything about the establishment of the Self Defence Units in the township or in Zone 12, Sebokeng?

MR MBANDAZAYO: Yes, with regard to Mr Maseko regarding Repossession Units.

... not a training centre as such, but it was a transit camp of MK. I stayed in Dukwe for not more than a period of four months and then we left as units of seven for Harare and then in Harare, we got transit, we were transited I mean to say to Zambia where I stayed at the place called Chaston. ...

Item 6 on the schedule. We I think are only able to grant amnesty in specifics and if the specific issues relating to robberies and setting defence units etc., amnesty would only pertain to those issues that are being discussed ...

MR VISSER: Alright, fine. Now let's come to your evidence about the units that you knew about in the Transvaal Military Machinery. Did I hear correctly that you had one unit under you in Swaziland, or were there more than one unit?

... was just background and no specific information regarding the murder, the relationship between the Security Branch, Murder and Robbery and other units in the South African Police Force with regard to matters dealing with Mrs Madikizela-Mandela and the Mandela United Football ...

The members or the activists who acted under the code name Operation Butterfly, were they also divided into separate units?

MR MAKANJEE: He is applying for amnesty as the person who instituted the self defence units in the area, he is the commander, he ...(intervention)

MR NKOSI: Logistics, I used to transport some of the cadres within the country, weapons, retrieving weapons from the DLBs and distributing the weapons into different units.

We will be hearing a number of applications over the next three weeks or so, relating to certain activities of what is referred to as Self Defence Units in the area of Thokoza.

... the conduct of operations was granted in specific command directives and guidelines applicable to the territorial commands of the Army and military units. This meant that regional commanders had authority and responsibility for the conduct of military operations within their regions, in ...

MR KEBOTLHALE: The councillors feature in so far as the operation of our sub-Units were concerned, and I think my Commander has elaborated on the operations of those Units.

... that the armed struggle had been suspended, it took quite a period of time to actually be conveyed to certain of the, for want of a better word, units in South Africa and specifically he said that at the time that the Bahai Faith Mission attack took place, he knew that the Transkei had not ...

MR BIZOS: And in relation to the low-intensity conflict that was going on, did he have any views in relation to the self-defence units that were being formed?